Padding is commonly used on athletic garments and other apparel to protect the human body. This is especially true in contact sports, such as football, where athletes commonly wear pads to protect soft tissue and other areas of the body. Such pads include, for example, hip pads, thigh pads, knee pads, and other pads worn in association with the uniform. These pads protect the athletes from impacts experienced during a game or practice.
Athletic pads carried by garments have traditionally been removeably inserted into pockets provided on the garment in order to hold the pads in place. For example, football hip pads have traditionally been inserted into hip pockets on football pants. After the pants are worn, the pads are removed before the pants are washed. However, removable pads are inconvenient since they must be inserted and removed from the pockets before and after use. In addition, such pads may be easily lost or misplaced between wearings, thus forcing the wearer to find replacement pads. To avoid these issues, many pads are now permanently attached to garments. In particular, in many modern athletic garments, pads are permanently sewn into closed pockets provided on the garment and/or fastened to the garment with adhesives or welding.
Pads that are permanently attached to garments are repeatedly subjected to various stresses. Because the pads are permanently positioned on the garments, they must be capable of withstanding repeated exposure to water, cleansers and heat during washing and drying cycles. Additionally, when the pads are worn during an athletic event they are subjected to further stress. For example, movement of the athlete causes the pads to repetitively bend, subjecting the pads to stresses that may cause tearing or other damage to the pads. This is especially true if the pads are worn in a major muscle or joint area, such as a knee pad. Pads worn during an athletic event will also be subjected to various stresses from impacts to the pads during the athletic event.
Typical athletic pads are often a simple sheet of foam material cut into a particular shape that covers a certain body area where protection is desired. These traditional pads are not ideal for withstanding the stresses associated with athletic garments. First, these traditional pads are not highly durable and designed to withstand repeated washing and exposure to water and heat of levels that occur in elite athletics. Second, when these traditional pads are bent during athletic activity, the pad experiences surface stress that may reduce the flexibility of the pad.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide an improved padding arrangement that may be used in association with an athletic garment. It would be advantageous for such padding arrangement to be flexible and capable of conforming to the athlete during wear. It would also be advantageous if such padding arrangement were highly durable and capable of withstanding repeated washing and drying cycles in addition to repeated flexing and bending. Furthermore, it would be advantageous for such padding arrangement to provide a high level of protection for designated areas on the human body.